[Null POV] Year 0, Day 43-50

  They were having lunch at their usual outdoor café when Tornin found them. The dwarf was running—actually running—through the plaza, paper clutched in one hand, looking frantically for someone. His eyes found them and he changed direction immediately, weaving through the crowd.

  "Young master!" he called out, slightly breathless. "Young master, I have news!"

  Void set down his fork. Null stopped mid-bite of her serpent skewer, watching the dwarf approach with mild curiosity.

  Tornin reached their table and thrust the paper forward. "He answered! Master Ealdred answered!"

  Void took the paper carefully. It was thin, almost translucent, covered in neat handwriting that glowed faintly with residual magic.

  "What is this?" Null asked.

  ?Magical telegram,? Void explained, studying the writing. ?Guilds use these to communicate across long distances. You write your message, channel mana into it, and it transmits to the recipient almost instantly. Expensive for personal use, but standard for business and official communications.?

  He read the message aloud, translating as he went:

  "Tornin Steelhammer. Your proposal is... intriguing. Maid café in Borderwatch. Bathhouse integration. Two-year timeline. Ambitious for such a remote location.

  I'm interested enough to visit. Will arrive in one week. Expect meeting at the Guild hall. You'll have a few hours to present your full concept and convince me this is worth my time.

  If I'm impressed, we'll discuss terms. If not, I leave immediately and you find someone else.

  Don't waste my time with mediocrity.

  -Ealdred"

  Void looked up from the message. "He's coming. In a week."

  "Yes!" Tornin was practically vibrating despite his obvious nervousness. "I didn't think he'd actually respond! Master Ealdred never answers these things! He ignores almost everyone! But he's interested! He's actually coming!"

  "He says we have a few hours to impress him," Void noted. "That's not much time."

  "It's more than most people get," Tornin said quickly. "Master Ealdred is notorious for leaving within minutes if he doesn't like what he sees. If he's willing to give us hours, that means he's genuinely curious. That's good. That's very good."

  "What do we need to prepare?" Null asked.

  Tornin pulled out his notebook, flipping through pages rapidly. "Sketches. Detailed concept art showing the integrated design—café, inn, bathhouse, how it all flows together. The vision for the establishment. Site location, though we might not have that finalized yet. Staffing plans. Training curriculum outline. Budget projections."

  "And the most important thing," Tornin's expression grew more serious, "we need to convince him this isn't just some vanity project. Master Ealdred has trained maids for emperors and popes. He's seen every possible iteration of high-end service. If we want him interested, we need to show him something he hasn't seen before. Something unique. Something that challenges him professionally."

  ?A maid café in an adventurer town. That's already unique,? Null sent through the connection.

  ?But is it unique enough?? Spy asked. ?He's trained for the most powerful people in the world. What makes this different from just 'another noble's pet project'??

  "The bathhouse integration helps," Void noted aloud. "Multiple disciplines. But we need more."

  Void addressed Tornin. "You know Master Ealdred better than we do, What would actually interest him? What makes this worth his time?"

  Tornin considered carefully. "Scale. Quality. Complexity. He likes projects that push boundaries. That combine multiple elements in unusual ways. Training café maids, bathhouse attendants, potentially security staff if we hire adventurers—that's diverse. Also," Tornin added, "he appreciates vision. Clients who know what they want and have the resources to make it happen."

  "We have the resources," Void confirmed. "And we're not compromising."

  "Then emphasize that," Tornin urged. "Show him the budget. The chance to train people with unlimited resources? That's novel."

  "What else?" Null asked.

  "The location," Tornin said. "Borderwatch. Middle of nowhere. An adventurer town, not a noble capital. That's unusual."

  ?Novelty and unlimited budget,? Spy summarized through the connection. ?Those are our selling points.?

  "Also," Tornin hesitated, then continued, "Miss Null. Her presence might actually help. A battlemaid who wants to learn service work? That's unique. Exactly the kind of unusual challenge he might find interesting."

  ?He wants to use you as a selling point. Your existence as part of the pitch,? Void observed through the link.

  "I don't mind," Null said aloud. "If it gets him interested."

  ?Just means we need to be careful about what we reveal,? Spy cautioned. ?Show enough to intrigue, not enough to expose everything.?

  ?Alright,? Void said internally to the group before turning to the dwarf. "You have one week to prepare. Detailed sketches, budget projections, site options if possible. We'll need to impress him immediately. No second chances."

  "I know. I'll have everything ready." Tornin paused. "And young master? Thank you. For taking this seriously."

  "Don't thank me yet. Thank me when Master Ealdred agrees to the contract," Void replied.

  "I will," Tornin promised.

  Tornin left, clutching his telegram like a precious artifact. Void and Null returned to their lunch.

  "One week," Null said.

  ?One week to convince a legendary trainer that our bizarre project is worth two years of his life,? Void added through the connection.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  ?Think we can do it?? Spy asked.

  ?We'll find out,? Void replied. ?Either way, we're committed now. Tornin's invested. We're invested. The wheels are in motion.?

  "No backing out," Null agreed aloud.

  ?No backing out,? Void confirmed.

  The preparation week was intense.

  Tornin appeared at their door the very next morning, arms full of rolled parchments, reference books, material samples, and sketch supplies.

  "Young master, I need your input. Lots of input. Design decisions, aesthetic preferences, functional requirements."

  They moved their games aside and cleared the table. For the next three days, Tornin practically lived in their room.

  "Style," he said, spreading blank parchment across the table. "What aesthetic are we aiming for? Imperial classical? Republic modern? Something else entirely?"

  Void looked at Null. ?You're the one who wanted this. What do you want it to look like??

  ?I don't know. Fancy? Nice? Clean??

  ?That's not very specific,? Void replied through the link.

  "I don't know architecture. I just know I want it to feel... comfortable. Welcoming. Safe."

  "Comfortable and welcoming," Void relayed to Tornin. "But also impressive. High-quality. The kind of place that makes people want to stay."

  Tornin nodded, sketching rapidly. "I'm thinking... elegant but not ostentatious. Quality materials that speak for themselves without excessive decoration. Clean lines. Lots of light—windows, skylights, magical lighting."

  He showed them initial concepts. Buildings that managed to be both grand and inviting simultaneously.

  "Yes," Null said immediately. "That. More like that."

  "Which one specifically?"

  Null pointed to a sketch that featured large windows, multiple levels, a central atrium with a glass ceiling. "Light. Lots of light."

  "Excellent choice." Tornin made notes. "We'll emphasize natural lighting throughout. Maybe even incorporate a central garden courtyard."

  The days blurred together as they discussed room layouts, café seating arrangements, kitchen requirements, and storage needs.

  "How many guest rooms?" Tornin asked.

  ?Enough to satisfy the lodging ratio requirement,? Void sent through the link. ?But beyond that??

  "Forty rooms," Null said suddenly. Both turned to look at her. "Forty. Good number."

  ?Why forty specifically?? Spy asked through the connection.

  Null didn't have a logical explanation, but the number sat in her mind with the weight of an optimized system. It was a pattern recognition she couldn't place—the perfect balance for a starting complex. ?Don't know. Feels right. Not too small. Not too big. Forty.?

  "Forty rooms it is," Tornin said, writing it down. "That's actually perfect. Enough to be substantial but not overwhelming for initial operations."

  "Café capacity?"

  "Hundred seats," Null said. More confidence this time. "Big enough. Not too crowded."

  "A hundred seats is ambitious for restaurant service," Tornin noted. "But with a hundred maids—assuming that's your staffing target—you'd have the coverage."

  ?A hundred maids?? Void asked.

  Null nodded. "Hundred sounds good. Enough to make it feel full. Busy. Alive."

  ?Where are these numbers coming from?? Void asked through the link.

  ?I don't know. They just feel right,? Null sent back. ?Like the bathhouse pools—ten pools felt right. Hundred maids feels right. I can't explain it.?

  ?Instinct, maybe. Or pattern recognition from all your gaming experience. You always knew optimal party sizes, raid compositions. Maybe that's translating,? Spy suggested.

  ?Maybe.?

  Tornin was sketching furiously now. "Forty rooms. Hundred-seat café. Ten-pool bathhouse. Staff of approximately a hundred maids. This is substantial. Very substantial. We're looking at roughly... ten to fifteen thousand square meters of total construction."

  "That's large," Void observed.

  "That's a complex," Tornin corrected. "You'll be creating something that rivals guild halls and government buildings in scope."

  ?We have the budget,? Void stated simply through the connection.

  "And the two-year timeline gives me room to do it properly." Tornin looked at his sketches with awe. "This could be my masterpiece."

  By day three, Tornin had refined concepts and cost projections ready. "I'll need approximately two hundred workers at peak. Can you handle it?" Void asked aloud.

  "Yes. This is my chance. I won't fail."

  On day four, they shifted to operational planning. "Staffing," Void said. "We need to understand what we're actually asking for. What does training a hundred maids entail?"

  Tornin pulled out notes. "Master Ealdred's curriculum—based on what I know—would probably include:

  Foundation phase (1-3 months): Basic service theory. Understanding hospitality, guest psychology, professional behavior. The mental shift from 'warrior' to 'attendant.'

  Specialization phase (3-6 months): Specific skills for their roles. Café service, bathhouse work, kitchen support.

  Integration phase (6-12 months): Practical experience under supervision.

  Polish phase (Final 6 months): Refinement. Perfecting presentation."

  Tornin looked up. "That's roughly two years total."

  ?And recruitment?? Spy asked through the connection. Void relayed the question aloud.

  "That's the tricky part," Tornin admitted. "Finding a hundred retired adventurers—all female, all C-rank or higher—will take time. But the actual recruitment, the interviews—that would fall to you and Master Ealdred. He'll want to approve every candidate personally."

  "So recruitment might take as long as construction," Void observed through the link.

  "Possibly longer," Tornin agreed.

  On day five, they discussed the site. Tornin showed them a map with a location on the city's eastern edge. "More than enough for your complex with room for expansion. But currently empty land. We'd be building from scratch."

  "That's fine. We want it done properly anyway," Void said.

  Null pointed at the largest plot. "That one. Big one. Room to make it right."

  ?Agreed,? Void sent back. "We'll request that plot in our application."

  By day six, they had everything compiled. "This is good work," Void noted aloud.

  "Thank you, young master. Now we just need Master Ealdred to agree." Tornin hesitated. "Young master, I want you to know—thank you for taking me seriously. That matters more than you know."

  "Don't thank me yet. Thank me when we open in two years with trained staff and a masterpiece building," Void replied through the connection.

  "I will," Tornin promised. He left, leaving copies of the documents for review.

  That night, Void couldn't sleep, clearly anxious about the meeting.

  "Worried?" Null asked from her chair by the window.

  ?Yes,? Void confessed through the link. ?This entire plan hinges on Master Ealdred agreeing. Without proper training, we're just... amateurs.?

  "We have money. We could find other trainers," Null said aloud.

  ?Not of his caliber,? Void replied. ?Getting Master Ealdred interested is an opportunity we can't waste.?

  "Then we won't waste it." Null's voice was calm. Certain. "We'll present well. Show him we're serious. Adapt."

  ?You're very confident.?

  "I'm not confident. I'm just... accepting. Whatever happens, happens. We adapt."

  Void smiled slightly despite his anxiety. ?That's a very Null way of thinking about it.?

  "It's the only way I know how to think."

  Morning came. By early afternoon, they gathered outside the Guild hall.

  And then Null saw it. Her Life Sense locked onto a shape in the distance.

  ?Void. That signature,? she sent, frozen.

  ?I feel it too, Mistress. What is that??

  The shape resolved: A massive dragon, silver-white and fifty meters long. It landed in the plaza with a grace that defied its size. The ground didn't tremble; not a single pebble moved, and the dust beneath its claws remained settled—as if the creature’s weight was a choice rather than a physical fact.

  The figure dismounted. Master Ealdred was an oni, nearly three meters tall, with red skin and black horns. Every piece of his kit radiated Legend-class signatures, but his life force made every other powerhouse Null had met look like a candle next to the sun.

  Then the dragon shimmered and reshaped itself into twin fox girls in identical maid uniforms.

  ?What... what am I looking at?? Null asked through the link.

  Void’s mental process stalled. It wasn't that the twins were invisible, but rather that his appraisal instinct simply refused to latch onto them. Every time he tried to focus on their nature, his mind slid away, leaving a sense of mental static—a void where information should have been.

  ?I don't know, Mistress,? Void replied, his mental voice awed. ?My appraisal is... slipping. Their nature is too alien. Too strange.?

  Null perceived them through her Life Sense as one singular life force existing in two bodies simultaneously.

  ?I am moving deeper into hiding,? Spy whispered through the link. ?The Oni’s awareness is uncomfortably sharp. I will remain silent to ensure he doesn't realize there is a third presence among us.?

  Ealdred stood before them. Null tried to catch a flicker of intent, but his mind was like a smooth, featureless stone. It was an active, professional void that left her Life Sense with nothing to grab onto. She found herself unable to find a single crack in his composure.

  "Interesting. Very interesting indeed," Ealdred rumbled in a voice like deep stone. He gestured toward the Guild hall entrance. "Shall we? You have two hours to convince me this isn't a waste of my time."

  They led him to the meeting room. Ealdred took the reinforced chair, his expressionless gaze moving across the displayed materials. Then his eyes returned to Void.

  "Begin," he said simply.